Liner support in hot-air furnace



Feb. 5, 1952 H. L. GIWOSKY LINER SUPPORT IN HOT-AIR FURNACE Filed April 13, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 5, 1952 H. L. GIWOSKY LINER SUPPORT IN HOT-'AIR FURNACE a Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 15, 1948 Patented Feb. 5, 1952 LINER sUrPoR'r IN HOT-AIR FURNACE Harry L. Giwosky, -Wichita, Kans., assignor to The Coleman Company, Inc., Wichita, Kans., a corporation of Kansas Application April 13, 1948, Serial No. 20,641

4 Claims.

' This invention relates to a heater structure.

The invention is particularly useful in floor furnaces and other type of furnaces in which inner casings or liners are employed about heating units, etc. 7 v

' One of the unsatisfactory features of heating furnaces employing liners or inner casings, etc. about heating units, is that the sheets of metal, when heated and cooled, tend to flex back and forth over center producing a cracking or popping noise. For example, a box-like casing; or liner, when heatedby the heater unit on its inner side, tends to expand or elongate, and the side Walls or end walls thereof produce the cracking noise commonly associated with the flexing'fof an oil-can wall. This oil-can effect is irritatingand it often gives the impression that the furnace has been damaged or is defective. The problem of providing a furnace or heater with casing walls which do not produce this undesirable effect, has not been solved up to the present time.

' An object of the present invention is to provide e. heater Structure in which the casing or liner sheets are so "formed as to prevent the flexing of the sheets over center when caused'to expand by temperature increases,'et-c. Another object is to provide preformed'casing or liner structures for heaters {orfurnaces which-when allowed to expand normally under rising temperatures, 'will line, thus eliminating the foil-can" effect. Yet another object is to provide a means for attaching the central portion of liner or casing {sheets to permit the free expansion of the sheets in'any direction without deforming the other sheets due to a variation in temperature between the sheets. A further object is to provide a casing structure of a preformed or bowed construction, permitting expansion in a manner whichtends to straighten the casingwhile preventing the temperature expansion from carrying the contour of the casing past a straight line. Other specific objects and advantages will appear asth specification proceeds The inventionis.i1lustrated,in a single embodimen t, by the accompanying drawings, in which- "Figure 1 is a top plan view, shown partl in section/of a heater structure embodying my in vention; Fig. 2 an end view in elevation, at portion ofthe apparatus being broken away and shown in vertical section; Rig. 3, a perspective view of the inner casing; Fig. 4, a perspective view or "theinnerlinert and Figs," an'enlargedsec- 1 not carry the contour of the sheets past a'straight 2 tional detail view, the section being taken as indicated at line 55 of Fig. 1.

In the illustration given, I0 designates an outer casing. II designates an inner casing. I2 indicates an inner liner. Upon the top of th casing I0 is a frame member I3, which is preferably equipped'with a grill (not shown). The bottom of the casing I0 is equipped with a conduit I4 for supplying oil or other fuel to a heater (not shown) within the casing Ii). The products of combustion pass from the heater into the heater casing I5. A central casing I6 receives the products of combustion, and this casing communicates with the radiators IT on either side thereof through the conduits I8.

The structure so far generally describedis that of a floor furnace. Air enters through the openings in the frame member I3 resting on th floor and passes downwardly through a chamber I9, as indicated by arrows in Fig 2. The air then rises through chamber 20, which lies between the inner liner I2 and the radiator IT. The heated air 'is discharged through the central opening 2I provided by theinner casing II and passes through the central portion of the opening in the frame member I3. The operation of the floor furnace is described in detail in Olds Patent No. 2,086,301,

which issued on July 6, 1937.

trated, the liner, by reason of its juxtapositionto the radiators I'l, expands under high temperatures and-contracts upon cooling. The sheets, forming the liner I2, tend to flex out of a straight plane under such expansionand contraction'and produce the well-known oil-can effect.

To overcome the above difliculty, I have provided the inner casing II with inwardly-embossed member 22 which form fiat webs inwardly of the plane of the casing II. I also provide the liner I2 with outwardly-embossed members 23 terminating in fiat webs abutting the webs 22, as shown more clearly in Figs. 1 and 5. The embossed members or webs 22' and 23 may be connected by a rivet 24, as shown in Fig. 5, or by spot welding or other suitable means. As shown more clearly in Fig. 1, the inner casing II I is formed by elongated side walls having end portions clinched with the end portions of sheet and walls. The end wall on one side is supported by a post 25, which is carried by a bracket 28 fixed to the outer casing Ill. The opposite extend through the sheets so as to permit free Y play of the sheet 30 relative-thereto. The liner [2 is similarly. formed of sheets, the elongated side sheets 29 bein secured;to.end

sheets 30. The sheets 29 and 30 are secured together by clinching or interlocking of their. end portions, as shown more c1early*-"ln"-Fig;='1. The liner sheets 29 and 30, however, are characterized by the fact that the sheets are bowed outwardly substantially throughout their width, while. their end portions are inclined slightly in an inner'direction. .The purpose of this preformed or bowed effect is to compensate" .iontherm'al expansion of the sheets which tends to, straighten the sheets. .The 'sheets'29 and 30, when unheated, present the bowed appearance, illustrated" in- Fig. 1, and when heated; tend to assume a; straight line posi- "tion. .The curvature of'thesheets "is such; hownot. carry their contour past a "straightpline. 'Thus;iithere. is .no cracking or popping noise and "the foil-can efiect is. avoided. By supporting the inner liner sheets 29 and 30 alongth'eir. central 4 portions, there ispermitted'the" free expansion of the "sheets in any direction withoutithe probability,of, deforming one or'the other sheets due t0.a variation in temperature between the sheets. jalnaddition to givingtheshe'ets 29 and 30 the bowed'ishapeillustrated,I prefer also to form the casing l6 of the central heating'unit with slightly bowed side walls 3| and 3.2, so that, undertemperature expansion, these walls will alsoitendt to approach a straight "'line but 1 will. never pass 'i beyond a straight line.

1. Operation In the operation of the structure;theheater is np'erated-'inthe" usual manner by the supplying of bilor-bther-fuel through pipe I 2 to the. heater,

and-the products of combustion pass upwardly ""through casing l6; pipes l8;-*-radiator l I and out "throu'ghrlueoutlets' 33. Since the operation oi *the' 'heater *iswell known; a detailed-description "isbelieved to be unnecessary. Air from 'the room fabove passes downwardly through" the 1 side-pas- -sages'19to' apoint below -the liner "l2; and then 'passes'upwardlyabout the' heater unit through passage 20. is discharged into the room 'through the: centralputl'et 2|-of theinner casing 1.1. Asthe-temperatureiises, the linersheets29 rand30 tend: to straighten and approaLchTthe straight-dine position. The curvature 1 61 i the 'jsheetsi,.however,.is such that the 'strai'ghtrlinepo f sition .is notquite. reachedsand.v is. never. passed,

solth'atra fflexingof .the.rsheets. .dolesonot. occur. Should one-.ofithesheets 29. beheated more than one of'theendsheets 3!], then .free attachments:

the .sheets .at .their endspermitsoneto, move u ..far.ther .Ithan, the otherand -.without-. deforming'lthe. other, .and, imany eventthe..moyement or. onesheetneyer Lforcesthe. other .to a .position .,.past.astra,il ;htiline.

TThe bowing of the,fsheets;may'-.-bej outwardly, asdesc'ribd, or inwardly as desired; the pre-s'et ever, that under the highest expansion, the sheets vnever quite reach the straight position and do" 4 curvature being such that the straight-line position will not be reached.

The invention herein has been described in connection with a floor furnace for the purpose of illustrating the invention. It will be understood that the invention is applicable to any type ci -heating. furnace inswhichrcasingsmembers are r-.zemployed".adjaeent sources-of heatfiand where the flexing of the casing parts would otherwise .le produce the oil-can efiect. It will be understood that inother types of furnaces, the casing in"questi'on*may"be supported directly upon an outertcasingprtrrame and may, if desired, form zeithescasingraboutzany type of heat source. "While,'in the foregoing specification, I have v..set.forthadescription of one embodiment of the invention in considerable detail for the purpose oidllustr'ating the invention, it will be understood that the details of structure, as well as the ar- 29 rangement oftthe. casing parts, m ay. be. modified widely by. thoseiskilled in the art without .departing from, the spirit of .myinvention.

,LIrQIaim: 1. In a heater structure, an outer casingsan inner; casing; a :heater withinsaid .inner casing, -a box-shaped:linerbetween said'heater. and inner casingvxandzscomprising: side-aand GlidizShBfitSL-SB- cured rtogether? atyrtheiri ends;:.'said, sheets: being bowed outwardly.substantially:.throughoutithelr width wher'eby the central portions of said sheets are brought adjacent the-inner :casingpsaidinner casing and-said sheets being'provided with' embossed-portions-extending toward each other at the central portion offithe-"sheetto bring i-the'w'eb portions thereofinto engagement; and means-for securing saidweb portions together. V

,2. In. a" heater structure, anouter casingpan inner c'asinga heater within said inner casing; a

40 boxshaped'liner. between .said heatenand jinner casing and comprising side and end "sheets. se-

.cured.together.v at...their ends, said sheets being bowed outwardly substantially;throughout Ztheir width to. bringsthe central portions .there'oiadja- .cent. saidinnencasing, said sheets. 'atjthein central portions .and..the..adjacent portioris .or said inner casingbeing, proyided .withintegral web portions .extendingatowam; each, otherrandiinto contact with each.0ther,;the.abutting surfacesliof. said web 50, portions. beingfiatsand means .securingssaidlffiat web portionstggether.

.L3.-,..In, .a heater, structure, an-outer;.casin .;.an

.inner .ca'singha heaterwithin. said. inner. casing.

,. a. box-shaped liner between said heaterandinner "lidcasingf and comprising 'side and end sheetssecured together attheir endspsa'id sheets being bowed 'outwardly"substantially throughout their width-whereby the central portions of said sheets 7 arebroug-ht adj acentthe inner :casing; said sheets at their centrahportions a'nd the adj acentportions ofsaid "inner-casing being provided with integral web portions extending toward-*and'dn contact with each other; andmeans secu'rlngsaid web portions'tog'ether.

4. In a heater structure, an outer casing;:-"'an 'innercasing suspended from said" outer; casing, a "heater within saidinner. casing: a"box= shaped liner 'between-said*heatenandiinner ca'sing said "7 liner comprising"sideandend sheets secureddogether' at" their ends, saidt 'sheetsbeing bowe'd outwardly "substantially throughout their width "-to': bring the "central;portions thereotzafiacent saidz-inner casing, :saidisheets; at"th;eir.. central 7 portions and the adjacent portions or 'saidinner E easing being provided with integral web portions extending toward and abutting each other, means securing the abutting portions of said webs together, and'means carried by said inner casing for supporting at least an opposed pair of 5 walls of said inner casing upon said outer casing.

' HARRY L. GIWOSKY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 10 file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Harms et a1 Oct. '7, 1924 Tuck Aug. 4, 1942 Olds Oct. 30, 1945 Higley et a1 May 14, 1946 Martin Sept. 10, 1946 

